Websites to look at for inspiration other than Pinterest or Instagram
Websites to look at for inspiration other than Pinterest or Instagram
Inspiration today seems to come from a couple of mainstream sources - Pinterest and Instagram being the most well-known. The fact that everyone exists in the same online spaces makes it difficult to source inspiration that is fresh and relatively undiscovered. Most of the time, when someone posts a mood board or stock image, we’ve seen it before. When entering the design industry, I no longer had time to spend countless hours sourcing inspirational material, so I knew it was time to compile a list of resources online that would make that search more efficient. I’ve sought to find websites that can provide me with the inspiration I’m seeking - therefore I’ve decided to share that list of sites with you and hope you also find these new channels of inspiration to be insightful and informative to your practice - whilst also saving you valuable time.
For Logos & Illustration
When it comes to sourcing image inspiration, there are a couple of great sites I always visit first to pick up some new ideas.
Dribble
Dribbble is a great site that focuses on showcasing work in progress as well as exhibiting finished projects from some of the worlds top designers. Dribbble has a real focus on social interactions. It’s the perfect place for creatives to share their work, grow as designers and get hired. When heading to this site purely for inspiration, it is extremely easy to navigate. I like to search for something within the niche I’m working in for a specific project, which brings me more focussed results that I can sieve through. You really get the sense that you’re in the presence of some of the leading minds in design when viewing the work available on Dribbble - which is why it’s always top of my list as an alternative source of inspiration at the start of a project.
Behance
Whilst Dribbble is more focused on social interactions with the work, Behance prioritises displaying it in a user-friendly and super aesthetic way. Dribbble is great for showing a wide range of innovative ideas, but I always like to come to Behance next to gain a more refined perspective. I find that the work on display on Behance tends to feel closer to the quality and aesthetic I seek to provide for clients - so it’s definitely more helpful in terms of visualising end products or developing an existing idea. If you’re looking for a Pinterest alternative specifically, Behance’s interface definitely has a similar board-like feel.
For Brand Identities and Packaging
There are endless sources of inspiration for packaging and brand identities. Pre-covid, I used to walk around shops to take in real-world inspiration for branding and packaging. But, since working from home more permanently and running a full-time business, I like to try and supplement some of that time-consuming product searching with a few simple clicks online.
Dieline
The place I start when looking for packaging is Dieline. This site is a trendy and well-informed source of inspiration for new packaging and innovative design styles. I like to look around on here when I’m striving to think outside the box. Dieline celebrates the best in packaging design, with a focus on raising awareness of the value of great packaging and product design for the consumer. It is also backed by Adobe, which I really value as a quality stamp of approval. I find this site to be incredibly motivating if I’m ever in need of a pick-me-up dose of innovative design inspiration. The site gives you access to new and trending design styles, as well as amazing articles breaking down some of the top featured work. I feel like it’s more ‘ahead of the times’ than Pinterest is.
For Typography
Typography inspiration is pretty much infinite. It surrounds us in everything we do. As a brand and web designer, I am constantly looking to type designers for inspiration within my projects. I wouldn’t be able to create the brand identities I do without type as part of the foundation of each idea. Below are some of the places I look to find a new type to feature in my projects.
Fonts in use
Fonts in use are one of my absolute favourite sites. It is the place to go for those who want to know what fonts have been used by other branding experts. Maybe you want to look at magazine covers or drinks packaging. Simply search for what you’re looking for and you will be presented with a whole range of examples of fonts in use for that type of design project. That way you can see the certain font styles being used for particular industries or project types, whilst seeing what designers are pairing fonts with. If you are looking for examples of types being used in the real world, this is the place to go.
Designspiration
Designspiration is a site I came across fairly recently, which stuck with me because of its easily searchable content. When I’m looking for type inspiration, I also love to search for things specific to my current projects. I will say, that you have to have quite a good eye when scrolling on this site - there are some pretty clipart-y images that you just have to brush past. But when you know what style you’re looking for, it is incredibly easy to pick out some bold designs to offer up as concepts or mood board elements to clients or teammates.
For Web Design
Finally, we’ve arrived at web design. As a brand web designer, I love looking at other peoples sites for inspiration on creative ways to launch and market a brand online. The following sites are where I go to initially find that inspiration.
Webflow
Webflow is the perfect place to go if you’re looking to find striking visual inspiration within an online community. Not to mention the fact that it’s a ‘no-code’ web building platform, which I’ve heard lots of great things about for building physical websites. It’s also a space where you can socialise, share and connect with other like-minded creatives. I mostly head to the Webflow showcase section to search and find new work from the sites best designers. It offers an easy to the search interface that finds you hundreds of website projects to view as inspiration for design, layout and custom coded elements.
Awwwards
Finally, we have Awwwards - a site that awards design, creativity and innovation on the internet. You can vote for sites that are up for various awards each week, which means you’re constantly being shown new up-and-coming site designs. I love this sites easy navigation and especially enjoy searching through the collections tab which houses an organised feed of various types of sites - all broken down into collections that define the site’s purpose. Awwwards is the place to go if you want to see the types of design currently getting good responses from audiences, as well as to find well-organised galleries of innovative sites.
I hope you find this list helpful to your practice and can look to others to inform new ways of thinking within your current and future projects. If you have any favourite alternatives when sourcing inspiration, drop a comment below!
